A.E. Housman, perhaps one of modern poetry's most enigmatic writers, was well known for his mastery of concise language. His poem "The night is freezing fast" perfectly illustrates his typical style: short, but effective. Housman makes the most of his carefully selected words as he ties together themes of death, bereavement, and the afterlife with creative poetic devices.

Housman's commentary on the nature of the afterlife gives his elegy a universal appeal. The idea of spending eternity sleeping nestled warm and cozy deep within the "turning globe" (l. 12) is certainly comforting. Housman does not portray death as a frightening experience, but rather as an escape from all worldly discomforts, such as the chill of winter. The brief nature of the poem might also point to Housman's views of death. It is inevitable, and quick: for years a person is living, and then in a single moment, he...